The Executioner
By Metabad
Countless years ago, in a distant world where mythical and legendary creatures roamed the landscape, there was a species hidden far off within a secluded land, these creatures were hybrids of Vampires and Elves that called themselves Verhanesses.
Very few knew that the Verhanesses even existed, the few that did know about them scorned these beings out of fear, in part because of their unnatural appearances, but another reason they feared them is that they did not know how they came to be, although many rumors persisted about their origins.
Some believed them to be the result of a final battle between the aforementioned races; others believed them to have been the result of the two races learning to live together in peace. Whatever the case, it was clear that the Verhanesses were not widely trusted, and as such the few that knew about them spread horrendous rumors about the species as well as their sacred land, which was known as Rethume.
The skies were constantly pitch black, menacing gothic architecture spread out all across this land, the obsidian castle within the center of Rethume being the largest structure of them all, consisting of black cobblestone and spiked spires towering over all the other buildings.
In this castle, resided the King of all Verhanesses known as Karrav. He had long white hair cascading down his back that ended below his shoulder blades; he had sharp black claws in the place of where ones fingernails would be, as well as sharp fangs which shined like diamonds when the moon reflected off them. He wore long black robes covering his pale white skin, and donned the silver crown atop his head with pride.
Despite his intimidating appearance, Karrav was a fair and just king; he was widely respected in the eyes of commoners and subordinates alike. His parents saw for themselves how responsible he was at a young age and as such, appointed him as their successor to the throne. Due to mysterious circumstances, they left the land in his care while he was growing up and from then on he lived within the castle walls, residing there well into adulthood.
He ruled the land throughout the ages, but on one particular night, everything changed...
---
Karrav was sitting on his throne, drinking blood from a chalice as if it were the finest of wine. He observed the two guards in front of him gathering their weapons as they were about to go out on patrol. The taller, more imposing one wore blue armour with lines of blue face paint underneath his eyes and the hunched over guard wore red armour, red paint adorning his face in a similar pattern.
“All set, Vencre?” The blue armoured guard asked his comrade.
“Indeed I am, Ganver.” The red armoured guard responded.
“Very well then, let’s venture forth and make Rethume a safer place for everyone!” Ganver bellowed with pride.
“You make such trivial work sound so adventurous.” Vencre rolled his eyes.
“Is there a problem with that?” Ganver asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No, I suppose not...even if it is just normal guard duty.” The hunched lanky guard stated, his fellow guardsman couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh in response.
The two were about to set off, until their king set his drink down and approached them. They immediately bowed to him, but to their surprise he approached the large door in front of them and opened it himself.
“My liege...” Ganver raised his bulky arm. He was about to say something, but stopped himself before saying anything else, not wanting to question his king.
“It’s a nice night out...” Karrav remarked to himself. “...then again, it always is.” He glanced over his shoulder at his palace guards. “Listen, I’ve been dwelling in this castle for far too long, I feel as if I need to oversee the well being of this land for myself as well. So I ask you not as a king but as a friend, may I come with you two?”
“Sir, you need to keep your own well being in mind as well.” Vencre stated.
“Bah, nonsense Vencre!” Ganver put a firm friendly grip on the king’s shoulder. “Our king can take care of himself just fine, besides if trouble does come this way, well...that is why we are here, are we not?”
“Well yes, of course, but I feel it would be much safer if-” the meek guard was cut off.
“Then it’s settled!” The large knight proclaimed. “You are free to come with us whenever you wish, and do not worry sir, we will defend your life at all costs!”
Karrav smirked. “Then let’s go already, Rethume won’t protect itself, you know.”
“Ahh, that is why we love serving you your Excellency, always the witty one.” Ganver said after letting out another boisterous laugh while his fellow companion chuckled rather nervously, unsure about all of this, but then who was he to question his king? He shook this feeling of utmost dread off, dismissing himself as being far too paranoid. They all looked at each other, nodded, and then headed out of the castle to begin their patrol.
---
Karrav and his men were searching all throughout Rethume for any sign of distress, they inspected every inch of the land, gazed into all the buildings they came across and everything seemed alright thus far...yet out of the corner of his eye, the Verhaness king saw a shadowy figure in the distance huddled up against a wall.
“Hm?” He glanced over towards where the shadowy figure once was, but before his gaze could meet with this mysterious being, they ran behind the buildings, disappearing within the distant darkness. Karrav was about to pursue this unknown presence, but stopped when he suddenly heard a loud crashing sound in the distance.
“What in all of Rethume could that have been...?” Karrav muttered to himself. He wasted no time and urgently ran back to his former position, looking from left to right, he determined that the sound came from the north and quickly headed there. Moving swiftly in between two buildings, he found Vencre with an axe lodged through his armour and into his chest, being pinned up against a wall by a tall figure obscured by the shadows around him.
“Tell me where he is...” the tall, imposing assailant harshly whispered, his voice almost sounding like a threatening growl.
“I’ll...never tell you.” The loyal guard said in between coughs.
“You’re so eager to die, aren’t you?” The obscured figure wasted no time, grabbing the guard by the neck and snapping it as if it were a twig, Karrav could do nothing until it was too late.
“Vencre, no!” Karrav yelled after him, hurriedly stepping towards his corpse, which was taken off of the black axe and tossed aside as if it were mere garbage. He now got a good look at Vencre’s murderer.
This being was clearly not a native to Rethume, lacking pale skin, claws, and various other traits associated with the Verhanesses. This figure looked physically powerful, muscles bulged out of his arms and legs, with visible veins popping out even more so. His face was obscured by his black leather mask, where only his yellow and black eyes were exposed. He held his long, bloodstained axe in his two massive hands. The only clothing he wore aside from his mask was a leather belt as well as undergarments made up of the same material, perhaps the most unusual feature about him however was the silver, rusted medallion embedded into his chest. He looked behind this monstrous being only to realize that the wall behind him was shattered into pieces, undoubtedly this titan must have broken through it and completely taken the guards by surprise.
Karrav glared at this Executioner in disgust, but before either of them could speak, Ganver flanked him from the side and held his sword up to his neck. “Run now, my liege, I will take care of this foul cretin!”
“B-but-” Karrav almost spoke up before being interrupted by his loyal guard.
“I will avenge Vencre, don’t let his death be in vain by staying here and worrying about me, your safety is of the utmost importance.” The tall, buff guard declared. “Now please, you have to get out of here!”
Karrav hesitated, but then nodded and took off. The Executioner took out a grey picture of the Verhaness king and after gazing upon it, looked again at him as he fled, the axe wielding savage clenched the picture tightly in his fist out of rage and determination, the veins in his hand looking like they were about to burst from his rough skin as the picture crinkled in his hand.
“Don’t look back, don’t look back...” Karrav felt terrible for leaving his guards behind, and felt even worse when he heard Ganver’s screams of pain echo throughout the land. Tears were forming in his eyes as he lost the two men that he practically considered family, but he knew that he had to run for as long as he could, otherwise they would have given their lives for nothing.
The white haired ruler ran for what felt like hours, until he finally stopped behind a large onyx structure to catch his breath. He sat down for a few seconds, until he heard yet another loud crashing sound, this time the noise was much closer. He looked behind himself and saw bricks falling towards him; he managed to roll out of the way, but then was grabbed by the neck.
Raising him to eye level, the Executioner smiled from underneath his mask, not that his victim could tell either way. “You must be Karrav...” the monstrous savage spoke in his deep menacing voice. “You wouldn’t believe how much gold I’m being paid to kill you.” He let out a quiet intimidating laugh. Karrav’s mind began racing, who could have possibly paid this brute so much gold just to kill him? Before he had any more time to even think about this, the muscular mercenary began strangling him.
As he felt the Executioner’s grip tighten harder and harder over his neck, feeling the air leave his lungs the more he coughed, he instinctively chose to kick his assassin in the chest, the claws on his toes sinking deeply into his thick, bulging abs. The wild barbarian looked more annoyed than hurt by this. “Stop struggling!” He let go of his neck with one hand, with the intention to grab and crush his foot within his powerful grasp, but before he had a chance to do so Karrav already removed his claws from of his opponent’s flesh. This gave him another chance to escape from his would-be killer, which he immediately did.
Karrav would not give up so easily however, and he wasn’t going to completely flee, not this time. As he continued to run, he gripped his robe in his thin, clawed fingers and began to chant indecipherable words. His hands were soon concealed within a purple cloudy aura; this aura spread into his robes and soon transformed them into what looked to be large bat-like wings on his back, revealing his red and black clothes that he wore underneath. He flapped these makeshift wings to pick up the pace and looked back; fortunately the Executioner was far behind him with no chance of catching up any time soon. “Hah, that barbarian will never catch me now!” But while the towering hulk of a man couldn’t keep up, Karrav could use his enchanted pair of wings to quickly come face to face with his attacker.
Karrav flapped his mighty wings, and after soaring off the ground instantly turned around, reaching his claws out while lunging towards the axe wielding behemoth. He lifted him off of his feet the moment he grabbed him, the half Vampire half Elf bit deeply into the Executioner’s neck and sunk his claws into his shoulders. He began sucking his blood but spat it out when the unexpectedly wretched taste touched his tongue. Karrav removed his claws from the Executioner’s shoulders as well, dropping him from the sky straight into an abandoned building, which shattered to pieces as soon as his imposing opponent collided into it.
“Down for the count.” Karrav commented as he flew back down to ground level. He grinned and looked on to admire his handiwork, normally he would not pride himself in such desecration of his homeland, but these times of sheer desperation certainly called for unlikely circumstances. The king prided himself in besting his adversary...at least until he saw his enemy getting back up on his feet as if nothing had happened.
The Executioner cracked his knuckles as well as his neck; he turned around and saw Karrav staring at him in shock. He pointed his large finger menacingly at the Verhaness king. “You, Karrav, are starting to irritate me.”
No...This can’t be. Karrav thought to himself. If that didn’t kill him, this...thing, whatever it is, certainly is no mere mortal. And if that’s the case, then I’m in trouble.
The dark clad monarch gulped and began to back away out of fear and terror. His strength is beyond measure, who could have met this abomination, and why would they send him after me? Who in all of Rethume would want to kill me this badly? These ceaseless thoughts entered his head once more. How am I supposed to defeat such a beast? No matter what I throw at it, no matter how fatal my attacks are, this thing will just get back up again, ready for more until exhaustion overcomes me, giving it the perfect opportune moment to kill me. He looked closely at the wretch, taking note of the blotches of dead skin all over his body as the heartless criminal approached him. No, there has to be some way to destroy this creature, there just has to!
Karrav found himself backed up against a wall, it was then that the Executioner began charging at him; his fist reared back just before he punched the red eyed Verhaness in his pale face, knocking him down. The Executioner walked up to Karrav and raised his sharp axe. “You’re mine now...” He brought the axe down on him. “It’s all over!” But Karrav quickly rolled out of the way as the Executioner swung his weapon down with all of his might, forming a large crack in the ground that he struck, the blade of the axe getting caught within it. “Damn it!” The soulless killer couldn’t wedge his weapon out of the rocky terrain no matter how hard he tried to pull and tug at it.
Karrav decided to use this opportune moment to strike him while he was still distracted, he chanted once more and used his magic to lengthen his claws to make them look even deadlier than before. He extended them in front of himself and curved all of his fingers, aiming towards his opponent’s head. “Focus, focus...” he whispered to himself, he clenched his teeth, closed his eyes and then went charging at the Executioner.
He ran with such force and flapped his robe-like wings to enhance his already admirable speed. Karrav did not open his eyes until he swung his claws forwards, when he did open them, he saw his claws tearing through the Executioner’s mask and impaling him straight through his skull. His plan worked perfectly, he had caught the contemptible beast off guard. “If that didn’t kill him, then I don’t know what would.” Karrav remarked as he removed his claws from the Executioner’s rotten skin.
The magic in both his wings and his claws soon faded away, converting the former back into his robes and significantly reducing the length of the latter. The lord of the land turned away and took out a black handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the grime off of his claws. When he turned back, he had expected to see his fallen enemy; instead he saw that the mighty Executioner was still standing. “No...” Karrav uttered, trying desperately to keep his calm composure. “That’s not possible!” This unexpected turn of events went against everything he knew about undead creatures; the Executioner slowly turned his head towards the terrified king.
“Fool, I am invincible!” He boasted as he finally managed to loosen his weapon enough to successfully pull it out of the ground. The massive nightmarish brute harshly swung his axe at Karrav, cutting across his right arm. The secluded ruler held his newly formed wound tightly and let out a scream of pain as the Executioner slashed across his other arm, then at both of his legs. It was apparent that the resurrected sadist wanted to take his time with his victim, taking any non-fatal stab at him that would prolong his prey’s suffering for as long as he could, enjoying every single moment of this. The Executioner was constantly forming new cuts and scratches in Karrav’s limbs, slicing and slashing at them whenever he could.
Although he was severely weakened from this excruciating torture, Karrav would not let him have this satisfaction anymore. The Verhaness slowly shambled up on all fours, and then entered a crouching position, sprinting away soon after he got back up on his feet. He knew for sure that he wouldn’t get very far, given the pain surging through his limbs as he moved, he just needed to find some cover so that he could get away from the monster that pursued him, even if only momentarily.
As he continued to sprint as far as he could, he saw a graveyard up ahead. He knew right then and there that this would be his rather morbid hiding spot; he looked back and glanced at his incoming assailant who was dragging his axe behind himself in one hand, the blade forming one long outline in the turquoise dirt.
“It’s time for you to die, you little insect!” The Executioner furiously shouted. He raised his axe into the air and slammed the handle into his cupped hand. He began charging at the fleeing king, who couldn’t help but notice as he breathed through his nose that this sadistic freak of nature reeked of foul odors, not very surprising for a walking corpse.
The moment Karrav reached one of the tombstones, he felt his strength leave his body as he fell to his knees, feeling exhausted. He used the last of his strength to get a good grip on the unmarked tombstone and flipped over it, crouching so that he was out of his pursuer’s sight. Although he did not intend to hide for long by any means, he just needed enough time to recover.
Karrav huddled up against the tombstone and cupped his hand over the wounds on his left arm, chanting another ancient incantation, a spark of light formed in his hand, healing him of these grievous lacerations. He did the same to his other arm afterwards. He looked at the ground and saw the Executioner’s shadow looming over him, looking up he saw the massive butcher with his axe raised. While he did not yet cure his legs, Karrav dug his claws into the ground and managed to pull himself out of the way of the incoming axe. He chanted yet another spell while pointing to the mound of bluish-grey soil that the reanimated powerhouse stood upon.
The soil began rising into the air, swirling and soaring every which way around the Executioner. The more Karrav chanted, the more aggressively the soil left the ground until it seemed to dissipate in the air. His loathsome foe soon found himself in a newly formed ditch, he walked over to one of the dirt walls and sunk his rough fingers into it, determined to climb out of this hole. Before he could however, Karrav pointed to the sky while still speaking in an ancient tongue and newly formed soil appeared above the hole, raining down into it, almost immediately burying the Executioner alive.
Karrav used this time to quickly heal his legs just before getting up, he stepped back to look on at the Executioner’s newly formed burial site. “A burial fit for a king...instead, going to an abhorrent murderer.” He was tempted to mark his bested opponent’s title on the gravestone, but ultimately decided against it, feeling he did not deserve such an honour. “Rest easy, my loyal subjects...your deaths have been avenged.” Karrav spoke as he gazed up at the sky, thinking back to his late guards. He sighed with bittersweet satisfaction as he began reflecting on his success in this battle against this heinous monstrosity while walking away from the graveyard.
Unfortunately, he did not get far before he heard rustling dirt fairly close behind. Karrav thought that this noise was just the wind at first, until the sound got louder and louder. He let out an exasperated groan as he buried his forehead in his hand. “Ugh, if that’s what I think it is...” the hybrid lord looked back and watched the Executioner burst out from the dirt, with both fists raised in the air. He let out a long enraged cry of pure disdain and hatred as soon as he emerged out of the ground.
The persistent mercenary slammed his hands down as he hoisted himself out from the deep soil and stared daggers at Karrav. “I’m not done with you yet!” He shouted, if looks could kill, his glare would have immediately eviscerated the king of Rethume. He got one still buried leg out of the dirt, heaving the rest of his lower body back up. He dragged one foot across the ground, then the other. Before Karrav could even run the Executioner charged straight for him, grasping his neck in his hands and strangling him as he tackled him to the ground.
No, this can’t be how my life ends! Did I fight this lowly tormentor for nothing? Has everyone who ever fought him been mercilessly killed by his hands? Such pessimistic thoughts entered Karrav’s head as the twitching, snarling Executioner continued to strangle the life out of him. There has got to be some way to send this foul creature back from whence he came! But how...
He cut himself off from this train of thought the moment he looked at the Executioner’s medallion embedded into his chest once more and then got an idea. That’s it! That has to be it! Karrav grabbed the grafted medallion and began pulling as hard as he could. It was tough to get his thin clawed fingers around the thick metal, but as he felt around he did manage to curve his fingers around the cursed artifact. When he knew that he had gotten a good grip on it, he pulled at it once more, but it still would not break free of the Executioner’s muscular chest.
The furious beast uttered a growl and then yelled as he moved his arm back and struck Karrav in the chest with his palm, sending him flying back. He performed a somersault that allowed him to regain his balance, bending forwards on one foot with his hand on the ground, while his other leg was down on one knee. He clutched his chest in pain as he began catching his breath and in the midst of his heavy breathing, saw that the medallion was now in his other hand, drenched in blood having broken free of the rough fleshy prison surrounding it. He looked up at the Executioner, who now had a gaping hole in his chest. He didn’t seem to notice this, still far too preoccupied with ending Karrav’s life, slowly shambling after him.
Karrav wondered if he could even feel the wound he just inflicted upon him, he pointed to his own chest, then towards the Executioner, and then made a throat slashing gesture. The Executioner shot him a puzzled look, and then looked down at his own chest. “What?” Now noticing the deep, blood soaked wound that took the place of where his enchanted medallion once was. He looked back up at Karrav, who was holding the medallion in his hand, dangling it in front of him as if to taunt him.
“You bastard, I’ll kill you!” The Executioner, clearly in a furious panic began running towards Karrav, who was beginning to recite a spell that only his people knew. The colossal berserker unnervingly clenched his bleeding wound tightly whilst the lone Verhaness continued reciting his incantation, when he reached the end of it the cursed medallion burst into purple flame within Karrav’s hand. While the flames did not burn his flesh, they did burn away at the artifact until it melted into an oozing liquid that as it melted, soon dissipated into cinder, spreading apart as it was taken away by a gust of wind.
“No...” The Executioner pitifully collapsed to his knees and then slammed his fist on the ground. “I needed that...” he looked at his hands disbelief as they began to shrivel and decay. “Without that artifact, I will be reduced to dust. How could a pitiful vermin like you get the best of me?” He spoke as he continued to rot away until what was left of his muscle tissue was clearly visible.
“Simply put, you sought out to kill the wrong person.” Karrav closed his eyes. “A clever mind and the greatest of wits will always best brute force, even in seemingly hopeless situations.” When he opened his eyes he saw the Executioner’s remaining exposed inner tissue had just peeled away, revealing his skeleton causing his rotting guts and organs to spill out and slowly disintegrate.
“Now I ask you, who sent you here to kill me?” Karrav asked his dying enemy, who let out a weak laugh.
“I’ll never tell you, that is a secret I will take to the grave with me...” The skeletal Executioner grabbed his remaining innards which soon decayed into nothing; he weakly dragged himself over towards Karrav. “...but given how eager they were to destroy you, I wouldn’t be surprised if they revealed themselves soon.”
“Tell me this instant, you foul undead abomination!” Karrav gripped his adversary’s skeletal neck in his hand, who only replied with two words.
“Drop dead.” The Executioner now attempted to choke the king in his bony hands, the effort was useless however as his arms soon crumbled apart.
“You first...” Karrav struck him in the chest and the once mighty Executioner was sent reeling back, his skeletal structure broke apart the moment it hit the ground, just before the rest of his remains were reduced to dust that scattered into the ground.
“Useless creature...” Karrav proceeded to cough as he fell to his knees, breaking his fall with his hands. He spoke again once his coughing fit stopped. “I finally got the best of him after all that, I almost can’t believe it.” When he lifted his head up, he saw a shadowy figure leap up on top of the tombstone a few feet ahead of him.
“Bowing before me, as you should.” He heard a feminine voice call out to him; he went in for a closer look and saw none other than his sister Zoa sitting elegantly on the tombstone.
“Oh, but in all seriousness, as much as I hate to admit it, that was quite impressive.” Zoa said in her cunning tone.
Her white hair was much shorter than Karrav’s, styled in a short A-line bob cut; she also had long pointed claws and sharp fangs much like her brother, except her claws were painted purple that matched with her long purple robe, her most distinguishing feature was her black lips, standing out from her pale skin.
“What the...sister, what are you doing here?” Karrav questioned.
“I’ve been watching you the entire time while keeping my distance; fortunately, you were far too preoccupied with your own matters to ever notice me.” She cupped her hand over her mouth. “Except for that first time, I believe...”
“Please don’t tell me you...” the king spoke up, before his sister finished his sentence for him.
“...hired the Executioner to kill you? Why yes, of course I did.” Zoa narrowed her eyes and grinned. “I would’ve paid him all of your gold pieces had he succeeded, too.”
“Y-you...but...why?” Karrav stuttered; he was at a loss for words until he regained his composure. “Don’t tell me you’re still jealous over the fact that I became king!”
“That’s precisely it, but not only that...” Zoa pounced off the grave in order to get to ground level, looking at her brother face to face. “I loathe the very idea of my own race entrusting you as their ruler, while not trusting me for a second.” She clasped her hand over her leg, squeezing it in anger as she bared her sharp teeth.
“Deep down, I always knew what was best for this land...and as such, I was always the true successor to our dear parents’ throne.” She shook her head. “But no, they entrusted you, whereas I was deemed unfit to rule.” She scowled at him. “Tell me dear brother, how is that fair?”
“Zoa, you’ve had this explained to you many times.” Karrav responded. “You were always so self entitled. Yes, you may have meant well, but you always put yourself ahead of the people. That is against what every ruler must aspire to do, it was all about you and your own needs as far as you were concerned.” He clenched his fists. “You were very immature, highly unprepared and irresponsible, especially for your age...but I was honestly willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, as I thought for the longest time that you had grown out of that phase.”
“In that case, I was very good at hiding it, burying these feelings deep down within me until I couldn’t stand the sight of you anymore.” Zoa glared at him and then rubbed her eyes out of stress. “Do you remember all that time I spent locked up in my room, requesting to be left alone? I spent that time devising ways to become queen, only recently did I consider killing you, but I knew I could not commit such an act on my own, for I would undoubtedly be the first suspect in such a crime.”
“So you chose the coward’s way out.” Karrav said spitefully. “...and I suppose you would have bragged to all your friends afterwards?”
“Oh no, no, no, I would never have openly revealed such a thing after your death.” Zoa quickly interjected; offended that he would assume things of her.
“So if you weren’t going to take credit for my death, what would you have done?” Karrav questioned her, finding her tone deplorable.
Zoa went on to explain. “Why, I would have announced to all of Rethume that you fought valiantly against a foul trespasser that threatened everyone here, and that you bravely gave your life to ensure the survival of your kingdom. At which point I would gain their trust, and they would appoint me as your successor to the throne.” She looked curiously at her brother. “Not a bad plan, don’t you think so?”
“There’s only one problem with it.” Karrav spat while she stepped on his toes, which he reacted to by grabbing her ankle and sinking his claws into her pale flesh. “I’m still alive!” He grabbed that same foot with his other hand and used all the strength he could muster inside himself to toss her aside, scraping her skin with his claw while she fell to the ground and groaned in pain.
“K-Karrav...” Zoa slowly slouched over and held her foot in pain before laughing quietly. “You’ve gotten a lot more powerful, I must say. I suppose what didn’t kill you only made you stronger.”
“Zoa, you committed a heinous act of treason against your king, and used such pitiful excuses to try to justify yourself. I honestly thought you were over such childish nonsense, but it appears as if I was wrong.” Karrav scowled, he didn’t often get mad, but when he did he had proven to have a vicious side to him. “Everything you have done is unforgivable; you are nothing more than scum to me now.” He pointed fiercely at her, leering into her eyes. “I hereby banish you from Rethume, leave at once and never show your face here again, or I will kill you on sight. Do you understand?”
“I understand completely.” Zoa began backing away on all fours, looking nervously at her superior. “I concede defeat, I have lost, and you have won. It’s only fair that I should leave, never to return.” She sighed as a light shone from her hand; she softly moved it over her wound in order to heal it before standing up again. “Too bad I don’t play fair.” She taunted as her look of nervousness soon turned into one of confidence.
“Leave now, or I will kill you myself!” Karrav shouted at the top of his lungs.
“I will do no such thing! I like it here, and I won’t follow your pathetic rules anymore.” She took out a scroll from her pocket.
“Then you leave me no choice.” Karrav seethed just before dark energy began to form in his palm. Zoa began quietly reading from the scroll, following the words with her finger while Karrav leaped towards her with the intent to kill, he was about to tear the scroll from her hands before finishing her off when suddenly he found a blue oval of pure energy obstructing his pathway. He didn’t have a chance to avoid it; his body had already disappeared within the newly formed portal, which vanished along with him.
“I’m afraid your time is up.” Zoa said as she put her scroll away. “Goodbye Karrav, it’s time for me to take my rightful place as ruler of Rethume.” She looked back and smiled. “Oh don’t worry little brother; I’ll alert the troops of your oh-so-noble sacrifice before I get appointed as queen.”
Zoa began to walk away and remarked to herself. “Even when my plans seemingly fall apart, I still get what I want...”
Very few knew that the Verhanesses even existed, the few that did know about them scorned these beings out of fear, in part because of their unnatural appearances, but another reason they feared them is that they did not know how they came to be, although many rumors persisted about their origins.
Some believed them to be the result of a final battle between the aforementioned races; others believed them to have been the result of the two races learning to live together in peace. Whatever the case, it was clear that the Verhanesses were not widely trusted, and as such the few that knew about them spread horrendous rumors about the species as well as their sacred land, which was known as Rethume.
The skies were constantly pitch black, menacing gothic architecture spread out all across this land, the obsidian castle within the center of Rethume being the largest structure of them all, consisting of black cobblestone and spiked spires towering over all the other buildings.
In this castle, resided the King of all Verhanesses known as Karrav. He had long white hair cascading down his back that ended below his shoulder blades; he had sharp black claws in the place of where ones fingernails would be, as well as sharp fangs which shined like diamonds when the moon reflected off them. He wore long black robes covering his pale white skin, and donned the silver crown atop his head with pride.
Despite his intimidating appearance, Karrav was a fair and just king; he was widely respected in the eyes of commoners and subordinates alike. His parents saw for themselves how responsible he was at a young age and as such, appointed him as their successor to the throne. Due to mysterious circumstances, they left the land in his care while he was growing up and from then on he lived within the castle walls, residing there well into adulthood.
He ruled the land throughout the ages, but on one particular night, everything changed...
---
Karrav was sitting on his throne, drinking blood from a chalice as if it were the finest of wine. He observed the two guards in front of him gathering their weapons as they were about to go out on patrol. The taller, more imposing one wore blue armour with lines of blue face paint underneath his eyes and the hunched over guard wore red armour, red paint adorning his face in a similar pattern.
“All set, Vencre?” The blue armoured guard asked his comrade.
“Indeed I am, Ganver.” The red armoured guard responded.
“Very well then, let’s venture forth and make Rethume a safer place for everyone!” Ganver bellowed with pride.
“You make such trivial work sound so adventurous.” Vencre rolled his eyes.
“Is there a problem with that?” Ganver asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No, I suppose not...even if it is just normal guard duty.” The hunched lanky guard stated, his fellow guardsman couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh in response.
The two were about to set off, until their king set his drink down and approached them. They immediately bowed to him, but to their surprise he approached the large door in front of them and opened it himself.
“My liege...” Ganver raised his bulky arm. He was about to say something, but stopped himself before saying anything else, not wanting to question his king.
“It’s a nice night out...” Karrav remarked to himself. “...then again, it always is.” He glanced over his shoulder at his palace guards. “Listen, I’ve been dwelling in this castle for far too long, I feel as if I need to oversee the well being of this land for myself as well. So I ask you not as a king but as a friend, may I come with you two?”
“Sir, you need to keep your own well being in mind as well.” Vencre stated.
“Bah, nonsense Vencre!” Ganver put a firm friendly grip on the king’s shoulder. “Our king can take care of himself just fine, besides if trouble does come this way, well...that is why we are here, are we not?”
“Well yes, of course, but I feel it would be much safer if-” the meek guard was cut off.
“Then it’s settled!” The large knight proclaimed. “You are free to come with us whenever you wish, and do not worry sir, we will defend your life at all costs!”
Karrav smirked. “Then let’s go already, Rethume won’t protect itself, you know.”
“Ahh, that is why we love serving you your Excellency, always the witty one.” Ganver said after letting out another boisterous laugh while his fellow companion chuckled rather nervously, unsure about all of this, but then who was he to question his king? He shook this feeling of utmost dread off, dismissing himself as being far too paranoid. They all looked at each other, nodded, and then headed out of the castle to begin their patrol.
---
Karrav and his men were searching all throughout Rethume for any sign of distress, they inspected every inch of the land, gazed into all the buildings they came across and everything seemed alright thus far...yet out of the corner of his eye, the Verhaness king saw a shadowy figure in the distance huddled up against a wall.
“Hm?” He glanced over towards where the shadowy figure once was, but before his gaze could meet with this mysterious being, they ran behind the buildings, disappearing within the distant darkness. Karrav was about to pursue this unknown presence, but stopped when he suddenly heard a loud crashing sound in the distance.
“What in all of Rethume could that have been...?” Karrav muttered to himself. He wasted no time and urgently ran back to his former position, looking from left to right, he determined that the sound came from the north and quickly headed there. Moving swiftly in between two buildings, he found Vencre with an axe lodged through his armour and into his chest, being pinned up against a wall by a tall figure obscured by the shadows around him.
“Tell me where he is...” the tall, imposing assailant harshly whispered, his voice almost sounding like a threatening growl.
“I’ll...never tell you.” The loyal guard said in between coughs.
“You’re so eager to die, aren’t you?” The obscured figure wasted no time, grabbing the guard by the neck and snapping it as if it were a twig, Karrav could do nothing until it was too late.
“Vencre, no!” Karrav yelled after him, hurriedly stepping towards his corpse, which was taken off of the black axe and tossed aside as if it were mere garbage. He now got a good look at Vencre’s murderer.
This being was clearly not a native to Rethume, lacking pale skin, claws, and various other traits associated with the Verhanesses. This figure looked physically powerful, muscles bulged out of his arms and legs, with visible veins popping out even more so. His face was obscured by his black leather mask, where only his yellow and black eyes were exposed. He held his long, bloodstained axe in his two massive hands. The only clothing he wore aside from his mask was a leather belt as well as undergarments made up of the same material, perhaps the most unusual feature about him however was the silver, rusted medallion embedded into his chest. He looked behind this monstrous being only to realize that the wall behind him was shattered into pieces, undoubtedly this titan must have broken through it and completely taken the guards by surprise.
Karrav glared at this Executioner in disgust, but before either of them could speak, Ganver flanked him from the side and held his sword up to his neck. “Run now, my liege, I will take care of this foul cretin!”
“B-but-” Karrav almost spoke up before being interrupted by his loyal guard.
“I will avenge Vencre, don’t let his death be in vain by staying here and worrying about me, your safety is of the utmost importance.” The tall, buff guard declared. “Now please, you have to get out of here!”
Karrav hesitated, but then nodded and took off. The Executioner took out a grey picture of the Verhaness king and after gazing upon it, looked again at him as he fled, the axe wielding savage clenched the picture tightly in his fist out of rage and determination, the veins in his hand looking like they were about to burst from his rough skin as the picture crinkled in his hand.
“Don’t look back, don’t look back...” Karrav felt terrible for leaving his guards behind, and felt even worse when he heard Ganver’s screams of pain echo throughout the land. Tears were forming in his eyes as he lost the two men that he practically considered family, but he knew that he had to run for as long as he could, otherwise they would have given their lives for nothing.
The white haired ruler ran for what felt like hours, until he finally stopped behind a large onyx structure to catch his breath. He sat down for a few seconds, until he heard yet another loud crashing sound, this time the noise was much closer. He looked behind himself and saw bricks falling towards him; he managed to roll out of the way, but then was grabbed by the neck.
Raising him to eye level, the Executioner smiled from underneath his mask, not that his victim could tell either way. “You must be Karrav...” the monstrous savage spoke in his deep menacing voice. “You wouldn’t believe how much gold I’m being paid to kill you.” He let out a quiet intimidating laugh. Karrav’s mind began racing, who could have possibly paid this brute so much gold just to kill him? Before he had any more time to even think about this, the muscular mercenary began strangling him.
As he felt the Executioner’s grip tighten harder and harder over his neck, feeling the air leave his lungs the more he coughed, he instinctively chose to kick his assassin in the chest, the claws on his toes sinking deeply into his thick, bulging abs. The wild barbarian looked more annoyed than hurt by this. “Stop struggling!” He let go of his neck with one hand, with the intention to grab and crush his foot within his powerful grasp, but before he had a chance to do so Karrav already removed his claws from of his opponent’s flesh. This gave him another chance to escape from his would-be killer, which he immediately did.
Karrav would not give up so easily however, and he wasn’t going to completely flee, not this time. As he continued to run, he gripped his robe in his thin, clawed fingers and began to chant indecipherable words. His hands were soon concealed within a purple cloudy aura; this aura spread into his robes and soon transformed them into what looked to be large bat-like wings on his back, revealing his red and black clothes that he wore underneath. He flapped these makeshift wings to pick up the pace and looked back; fortunately the Executioner was far behind him with no chance of catching up any time soon. “Hah, that barbarian will never catch me now!” But while the towering hulk of a man couldn’t keep up, Karrav could use his enchanted pair of wings to quickly come face to face with his attacker.
Karrav flapped his mighty wings, and after soaring off the ground instantly turned around, reaching his claws out while lunging towards the axe wielding behemoth. He lifted him off of his feet the moment he grabbed him, the half Vampire half Elf bit deeply into the Executioner’s neck and sunk his claws into his shoulders. He began sucking his blood but spat it out when the unexpectedly wretched taste touched his tongue. Karrav removed his claws from the Executioner’s shoulders as well, dropping him from the sky straight into an abandoned building, which shattered to pieces as soon as his imposing opponent collided into it.
“Down for the count.” Karrav commented as he flew back down to ground level. He grinned and looked on to admire his handiwork, normally he would not pride himself in such desecration of his homeland, but these times of sheer desperation certainly called for unlikely circumstances. The king prided himself in besting his adversary...at least until he saw his enemy getting back up on his feet as if nothing had happened.
The Executioner cracked his knuckles as well as his neck; he turned around and saw Karrav staring at him in shock. He pointed his large finger menacingly at the Verhaness king. “You, Karrav, are starting to irritate me.”
No...This can’t be. Karrav thought to himself. If that didn’t kill him, this...thing, whatever it is, certainly is no mere mortal. And if that’s the case, then I’m in trouble.
The dark clad monarch gulped and began to back away out of fear and terror. His strength is beyond measure, who could have met this abomination, and why would they send him after me? Who in all of Rethume would want to kill me this badly? These ceaseless thoughts entered his head once more. How am I supposed to defeat such a beast? No matter what I throw at it, no matter how fatal my attacks are, this thing will just get back up again, ready for more until exhaustion overcomes me, giving it the perfect opportune moment to kill me. He looked closely at the wretch, taking note of the blotches of dead skin all over his body as the heartless criminal approached him. No, there has to be some way to destroy this creature, there just has to!
Karrav found himself backed up against a wall, it was then that the Executioner began charging at him; his fist reared back just before he punched the red eyed Verhaness in his pale face, knocking him down. The Executioner walked up to Karrav and raised his sharp axe. “You’re mine now...” He brought the axe down on him. “It’s all over!” But Karrav quickly rolled out of the way as the Executioner swung his weapon down with all of his might, forming a large crack in the ground that he struck, the blade of the axe getting caught within it. “Damn it!” The soulless killer couldn’t wedge his weapon out of the rocky terrain no matter how hard he tried to pull and tug at it.
Karrav decided to use this opportune moment to strike him while he was still distracted, he chanted once more and used his magic to lengthen his claws to make them look even deadlier than before. He extended them in front of himself and curved all of his fingers, aiming towards his opponent’s head. “Focus, focus...” he whispered to himself, he clenched his teeth, closed his eyes and then went charging at the Executioner.
He ran with such force and flapped his robe-like wings to enhance his already admirable speed. Karrav did not open his eyes until he swung his claws forwards, when he did open them, he saw his claws tearing through the Executioner’s mask and impaling him straight through his skull. His plan worked perfectly, he had caught the contemptible beast off guard. “If that didn’t kill him, then I don’t know what would.” Karrav remarked as he removed his claws from the Executioner’s rotten skin.
The magic in both his wings and his claws soon faded away, converting the former back into his robes and significantly reducing the length of the latter. The lord of the land turned away and took out a black handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the grime off of his claws. When he turned back, he had expected to see his fallen enemy; instead he saw that the mighty Executioner was still standing. “No...” Karrav uttered, trying desperately to keep his calm composure. “That’s not possible!” This unexpected turn of events went against everything he knew about undead creatures; the Executioner slowly turned his head towards the terrified king.
“Fool, I am invincible!” He boasted as he finally managed to loosen his weapon enough to successfully pull it out of the ground. The massive nightmarish brute harshly swung his axe at Karrav, cutting across his right arm. The secluded ruler held his newly formed wound tightly and let out a scream of pain as the Executioner slashed across his other arm, then at both of his legs. It was apparent that the resurrected sadist wanted to take his time with his victim, taking any non-fatal stab at him that would prolong his prey’s suffering for as long as he could, enjoying every single moment of this. The Executioner was constantly forming new cuts and scratches in Karrav’s limbs, slicing and slashing at them whenever he could.
Although he was severely weakened from this excruciating torture, Karrav would not let him have this satisfaction anymore. The Verhaness slowly shambled up on all fours, and then entered a crouching position, sprinting away soon after he got back up on his feet. He knew for sure that he wouldn’t get very far, given the pain surging through his limbs as he moved, he just needed to find some cover so that he could get away from the monster that pursued him, even if only momentarily.
As he continued to sprint as far as he could, he saw a graveyard up ahead. He knew right then and there that this would be his rather morbid hiding spot; he looked back and glanced at his incoming assailant who was dragging his axe behind himself in one hand, the blade forming one long outline in the turquoise dirt.
“It’s time for you to die, you little insect!” The Executioner furiously shouted. He raised his axe into the air and slammed the handle into his cupped hand. He began charging at the fleeing king, who couldn’t help but notice as he breathed through his nose that this sadistic freak of nature reeked of foul odors, not very surprising for a walking corpse.
The moment Karrav reached one of the tombstones, he felt his strength leave his body as he fell to his knees, feeling exhausted. He used the last of his strength to get a good grip on the unmarked tombstone and flipped over it, crouching so that he was out of his pursuer’s sight. Although he did not intend to hide for long by any means, he just needed enough time to recover.
Karrav huddled up against the tombstone and cupped his hand over the wounds on his left arm, chanting another ancient incantation, a spark of light formed in his hand, healing him of these grievous lacerations. He did the same to his other arm afterwards. He looked at the ground and saw the Executioner’s shadow looming over him, looking up he saw the massive butcher with his axe raised. While he did not yet cure his legs, Karrav dug his claws into the ground and managed to pull himself out of the way of the incoming axe. He chanted yet another spell while pointing to the mound of bluish-grey soil that the reanimated powerhouse stood upon.
The soil began rising into the air, swirling and soaring every which way around the Executioner. The more Karrav chanted, the more aggressively the soil left the ground until it seemed to dissipate in the air. His loathsome foe soon found himself in a newly formed ditch, he walked over to one of the dirt walls and sunk his rough fingers into it, determined to climb out of this hole. Before he could however, Karrav pointed to the sky while still speaking in an ancient tongue and newly formed soil appeared above the hole, raining down into it, almost immediately burying the Executioner alive.
Karrav used this time to quickly heal his legs just before getting up, he stepped back to look on at the Executioner’s newly formed burial site. “A burial fit for a king...instead, going to an abhorrent murderer.” He was tempted to mark his bested opponent’s title on the gravestone, but ultimately decided against it, feeling he did not deserve such an honour. “Rest easy, my loyal subjects...your deaths have been avenged.” Karrav spoke as he gazed up at the sky, thinking back to his late guards. He sighed with bittersweet satisfaction as he began reflecting on his success in this battle against this heinous monstrosity while walking away from the graveyard.
Unfortunately, he did not get far before he heard rustling dirt fairly close behind. Karrav thought that this noise was just the wind at first, until the sound got louder and louder. He let out an exasperated groan as he buried his forehead in his hand. “Ugh, if that’s what I think it is...” the hybrid lord looked back and watched the Executioner burst out from the dirt, with both fists raised in the air. He let out a long enraged cry of pure disdain and hatred as soon as he emerged out of the ground.
The persistent mercenary slammed his hands down as he hoisted himself out from the deep soil and stared daggers at Karrav. “I’m not done with you yet!” He shouted, if looks could kill, his glare would have immediately eviscerated the king of Rethume. He got one still buried leg out of the dirt, heaving the rest of his lower body back up. He dragged one foot across the ground, then the other. Before Karrav could even run the Executioner charged straight for him, grasping his neck in his hands and strangling him as he tackled him to the ground.
No, this can’t be how my life ends! Did I fight this lowly tormentor for nothing? Has everyone who ever fought him been mercilessly killed by his hands? Such pessimistic thoughts entered Karrav’s head as the twitching, snarling Executioner continued to strangle the life out of him. There has got to be some way to send this foul creature back from whence he came! But how...
He cut himself off from this train of thought the moment he looked at the Executioner’s medallion embedded into his chest once more and then got an idea. That’s it! That has to be it! Karrav grabbed the grafted medallion and began pulling as hard as he could. It was tough to get his thin clawed fingers around the thick metal, but as he felt around he did manage to curve his fingers around the cursed artifact. When he knew that he had gotten a good grip on it, he pulled at it once more, but it still would not break free of the Executioner’s muscular chest.
The furious beast uttered a growl and then yelled as he moved his arm back and struck Karrav in the chest with his palm, sending him flying back. He performed a somersault that allowed him to regain his balance, bending forwards on one foot with his hand on the ground, while his other leg was down on one knee. He clutched his chest in pain as he began catching his breath and in the midst of his heavy breathing, saw that the medallion was now in his other hand, drenched in blood having broken free of the rough fleshy prison surrounding it. He looked up at the Executioner, who now had a gaping hole in his chest. He didn’t seem to notice this, still far too preoccupied with ending Karrav’s life, slowly shambling after him.
Karrav wondered if he could even feel the wound he just inflicted upon him, he pointed to his own chest, then towards the Executioner, and then made a throat slashing gesture. The Executioner shot him a puzzled look, and then looked down at his own chest. “What?” Now noticing the deep, blood soaked wound that took the place of where his enchanted medallion once was. He looked back up at Karrav, who was holding the medallion in his hand, dangling it in front of him as if to taunt him.
“You bastard, I’ll kill you!” The Executioner, clearly in a furious panic began running towards Karrav, who was beginning to recite a spell that only his people knew. The colossal berserker unnervingly clenched his bleeding wound tightly whilst the lone Verhaness continued reciting his incantation, when he reached the end of it the cursed medallion burst into purple flame within Karrav’s hand. While the flames did not burn his flesh, they did burn away at the artifact until it melted into an oozing liquid that as it melted, soon dissipated into cinder, spreading apart as it was taken away by a gust of wind.
“No...” The Executioner pitifully collapsed to his knees and then slammed his fist on the ground. “I needed that...” he looked at his hands disbelief as they began to shrivel and decay. “Without that artifact, I will be reduced to dust. How could a pitiful vermin like you get the best of me?” He spoke as he continued to rot away until what was left of his muscle tissue was clearly visible.
“Simply put, you sought out to kill the wrong person.” Karrav closed his eyes. “A clever mind and the greatest of wits will always best brute force, even in seemingly hopeless situations.” When he opened his eyes he saw the Executioner’s remaining exposed inner tissue had just peeled away, revealing his skeleton causing his rotting guts and organs to spill out and slowly disintegrate.
“Now I ask you, who sent you here to kill me?” Karrav asked his dying enemy, who let out a weak laugh.
“I’ll never tell you, that is a secret I will take to the grave with me...” The skeletal Executioner grabbed his remaining innards which soon decayed into nothing; he weakly dragged himself over towards Karrav. “...but given how eager they were to destroy you, I wouldn’t be surprised if they revealed themselves soon.”
“Tell me this instant, you foul undead abomination!” Karrav gripped his adversary’s skeletal neck in his hand, who only replied with two words.
“Drop dead.” The Executioner now attempted to choke the king in his bony hands, the effort was useless however as his arms soon crumbled apart.
“You first...” Karrav struck him in the chest and the once mighty Executioner was sent reeling back, his skeletal structure broke apart the moment it hit the ground, just before the rest of his remains were reduced to dust that scattered into the ground.
“Useless creature...” Karrav proceeded to cough as he fell to his knees, breaking his fall with his hands. He spoke again once his coughing fit stopped. “I finally got the best of him after all that, I almost can’t believe it.” When he lifted his head up, he saw a shadowy figure leap up on top of the tombstone a few feet ahead of him.
“Bowing before me, as you should.” He heard a feminine voice call out to him; he went in for a closer look and saw none other than his sister Zoa sitting elegantly on the tombstone.
“Oh, but in all seriousness, as much as I hate to admit it, that was quite impressive.” Zoa said in her cunning tone.
Her white hair was much shorter than Karrav’s, styled in a short A-line bob cut; she also had long pointed claws and sharp fangs much like her brother, except her claws were painted purple that matched with her long purple robe, her most distinguishing feature was her black lips, standing out from her pale skin.
“What the...sister, what are you doing here?” Karrav questioned.
“I’ve been watching you the entire time while keeping my distance; fortunately, you were far too preoccupied with your own matters to ever notice me.” She cupped her hand over her mouth. “Except for that first time, I believe...”
“Please don’t tell me you...” the king spoke up, before his sister finished his sentence for him.
“...hired the Executioner to kill you? Why yes, of course I did.” Zoa narrowed her eyes and grinned. “I would’ve paid him all of your gold pieces had he succeeded, too.”
“Y-you...but...why?” Karrav stuttered; he was at a loss for words until he regained his composure. “Don’t tell me you’re still jealous over the fact that I became king!”
“That’s precisely it, but not only that...” Zoa pounced off the grave in order to get to ground level, looking at her brother face to face. “I loathe the very idea of my own race entrusting you as their ruler, while not trusting me for a second.” She clasped her hand over her leg, squeezing it in anger as she bared her sharp teeth.
“Deep down, I always knew what was best for this land...and as such, I was always the true successor to our dear parents’ throne.” She shook her head. “But no, they entrusted you, whereas I was deemed unfit to rule.” She scowled at him. “Tell me dear brother, how is that fair?”
“Zoa, you’ve had this explained to you many times.” Karrav responded. “You were always so self entitled. Yes, you may have meant well, but you always put yourself ahead of the people. That is against what every ruler must aspire to do, it was all about you and your own needs as far as you were concerned.” He clenched his fists. “You were very immature, highly unprepared and irresponsible, especially for your age...but I was honestly willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, as I thought for the longest time that you had grown out of that phase.”
“In that case, I was very good at hiding it, burying these feelings deep down within me until I couldn’t stand the sight of you anymore.” Zoa glared at him and then rubbed her eyes out of stress. “Do you remember all that time I spent locked up in my room, requesting to be left alone? I spent that time devising ways to become queen, only recently did I consider killing you, but I knew I could not commit such an act on my own, for I would undoubtedly be the first suspect in such a crime.”
“So you chose the coward’s way out.” Karrav said spitefully. “...and I suppose you would have bragged to all your friends afterwards?”
“Oh no, no, no, I would never have openly revealed such a thing after your death.” Zoa quickly interjected; offended that he would assume things of her.
“So if you weren’t going to take credit for my death, what would you have done?” Karrav questioned her, finding her tone deplorable.
Zoa went on to explain. “Why, I would have announced to all of Rethume that you fought valiantly against a foul trespasser that threatened everyone here, and that you bravely gave your life to ensure the survival of your kingdom. At which point I would gain their trust, and they would appoint me as your successor to the throne.” She looked curiously at her brother. “Not a bad plan, don’t you think so?”
“There’s only one problem with it.” Karrav spat while she stepped on his toes, which he reacted to by grabbing her ankle and sinking his claws into her pale flesh. “I’m still alive!” He grabbed that same foot with his other hand and used all the strength he could muster inside himself to toss her aside, scraping her skin with his claw while she fell to the ground and groaned in pain.
“K-Karrav...” Zoa slowly slouched over and held her foot in pain before laughing quietly. “You’ve gotten a lot more powerful, I must say. I suppose what didn’t kill you only made you stronger.”
“Zoa, you committed a heinous act of treason against your king, and used such pitiful excuses to try to justify yourself. I honestly thought you were over such childish nonsense, but it appears as if I was wrong.” Karrav scowled, he didn’t often get mad, but when he did he had proven to have a vicious side to him. “Everything you have done is unforgivable; you are nothing more than scum to me now.” He pointed fiercely at her, leering into her eyes. “I hereby banish you from Rethume, leave at once and never show your face here again, or I will kill you on sight. Do you understand?”
“I understand completely.” Zoa began backing away on all fours, looking nervously at her superior. “I concede defeat, I have lost, and you have won. It’s only fair that I should leave, never to return.” She sighed as a light shone from her hand; she softly moved it over her wound in order to heal it before standing up again. “Too bad I don’t play fair.” She taunted as her look of nervousness soon turned into one of confidence.
“Leave now, or I will kill you myself!” Karrav shouted at the top of his lungs.
“I will do no such thing! I like it here, and I won’t follow your pathetic rules anymore.” She took out a scroll from her pocket.
“Then you leave me no choice.” Karrav seethed just before dark energy began to form in his palm. Zoa began quietly reading from the scroll, following the words with her finger while Karrav leaped towards her with the intent to kill, he was about to tear the scroll from her hands before finishing her off when suddenly he found a blue oval of pure energy obstructing his pathway. He didn’t have a chance to avoid it; his body had already disappeared within the newly formed portal, which vanished along with him.
“I’m afraid your time is up.” Zoa said as she put her scroll away. “Goodbye Karrav, it’s time for me to take my rightful place as ruler of Rethume.” She looked back and smiled. “Oh don’t worry little brother; I’ll alert the troops of your oh-so-noble sacrifice before I get appointed as queen.”
Zoa began to walk away and remarked to herself. “Even when my plans seemingly fall apart, I still get what I want...”
The End